Building up believers and the New Testament church

Fellowship With God

"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (I Cor. 1:9) "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full." (I John 1:3,4) "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (John 14:23)

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (John 17:20-23)

These scriptures along with many others state plainly that every member of the body of Christ has a "calling," and that our calling is to be in fellowship with God. This is a complete statement of what God is doing today. To move in fellowship with God is the only way that we can be a part of what He is doing on this earth and for eternity. As Christians, we may have accepted a "calling" according to our own understanding that is something less than this. But any calling that does not bring us into full fellowship with God by the power of His endless life is less than what God is doing, and is not His calling at all.

We may shrink from the idea of being "in fellowship with God," feeling that we are not worthy or that this is only for a special few. Then we wonder why we do not experience His power or love. We need wonder no longer, for we can search the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and we will not find any other calling for the believer. The grace to function in this calling may vary, but the calling is the same for every member. Furthermore, fellowship with God is the very purpose for which we were created! How could we shrink from that?

If we want to know the joy that John spoke of, and if we do not want to stand empty-handed before our Lord on the final day, we need to come back to the foundation. We need to ask God to open our eyes once again (or maybe for the first time) to see what fellowship with God is. He promised to open the eyes of any man that would ask Him, but it will not come without asking, and we must ask in faith.